Short-term professional counseling for attorneys of the 28th Judicial District

At times all of us have problems in our personal lives or at work. Early assistance in resolving these problems improves the quality of both our personal and professional lives.

The BarCARES program was created as a no-cost way of helping to locate assistance in dealing with any problems that might be causing you distress. The goal is to help you find the resources to ease the stress that interferes in your life. The 28th Judicial District is pleased to offer this program to its members.

The BarCARES Program is there to help you and your family members, providing confidential assistance and brief, solution-oriented counseling.

The program can be used for problems such as:

crisis intervention

depression and anxiety issues

substance abuse (drug or alcohol)

financial concerns

career counseling

conflict resolution

parenting

marriage or relationship

professional stressors

BarCARES is a short-term intervention program provided cost-free to members of the 28th District Bar. Each attorney receives up to three free visits each year. Members of your immediate family may attend with you if they are part of the problem.

These sessions can be used to provide assistance in resolving problems or accessing the appropriate source of help. Sometimes three sessions will be enough to take care of a problem. If it looks like the problem may require a longer term solution, the initial visits may be used to help identify the problem, to develop goals and a plan, and to access an appropriate resource, often covered under your health insurance plan.

Every effort will be made for you to see a counselor who is also an approved provider under your group insurance, in the event you wish to continue after the program visits are used. If you choose not to continue with the same counselor, the counselor will help you locate an appropriate person. Counselors are located in the Asheville area.

If you use the BarCARES Program, no one will know but you and anyone you choose to tell. The counselors who are part of the program are licensed professionals, bound by the confidentiality requirements of their professions. The 28th Judicial District provides the funds to pay for the program and monitors its overall operation, but it has no access to names or other identifying information of any program users.

You can use the BarCARES program by contacting the BarCARES Coordinator at the number below. You will be asked for information about the issues that concern you to facilitate locating the best possible person to work with you in resolving your problem. You may also contact the BarCARES program just to ask questions about the program and the services it provides.